The Ends of Autumn
by Fidchell
Summary: Rufus Silverwing is a Silverwing bat recently banished from his colony. He revisits the colony to mate the bat he loved in secret, but something odd is going on. None of the bats have any rememberance of his banishment. Not even the elders.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Before I begin my petty little life story, I would like to introduce you to the ultimate effects of a true downward spiral. Everything was in my hands. I crafted whatever I saw fit. I was like a god in a way. I controlled my own life, but not as tightly as you may think. I had a loose control – a type of control you would not quite understand. Ironic, isn't it? I do not happen to understand it myself, but the only thing that mattered is that I knew it, and I had to fix it quickly, otherwise my own little world would fall apart, taking my life with it. I am not one to handle a situation firmly, or quickly for that matter, but this is my life, and I had to pull myself together. My life was ticking. Fate seemed devoid. Everything I cherished would be soon corrupt. Did I have the power to own the things that owned me?

I heard that your mind is one of your worst enemies. I fully agree with this. My mind had done things to me that had happened to no one else I knew. It had done things to me I never expected to happen – it completely ruined me. It turned me into a monster; however, extra chances to redeem myself kept swinging around me. It was like this terrible charade would never end. The war in my head was ceaseless. I had to find a way to just end it all. I needed rest. I could not fight for as long as I thought. My mind was something I loathed. I hated my mind so much that I considered it a physical thing. I wanted to kill it, but then I realized how stupid I was being.

Did I have a chance to stop myself from losing everything? I seems everybody has a chance to redeem him or herself once in a while. If he or she played their cards right, they would get out and start with a clean slate. They would save their lives, but my situation was so different. I was completely lost. I was in a container I couldn't get out of. I was being tortured without a minute of rest. Yet I still live and recollect on my past mistakes. Killing myself would do no good – my conscience always got to me. I never considered my conscience to be an enemy of mine – sometimes it has even saved me from making worse mistakes. Something inside told me to live. What was my real purpose? I was just a useless organism. Was I to change history? Was I to mark my name in every single person's mind that would spawn from generations upon generations? I reconsidered it, for no one's heart could possibly be more rotten than mine. What did I deserve?

With that said, it is about time I start with the beginning of my descent down the spiral of insanity. My name is Rufus Silverwing. I am a bat in a small Silverwing colony in a reclusive part of the forests in which Silverwings usually dwell. Why are we cooped up in this lonely area? Why did we separate from the others? Apparently, this little colony was paranoid and superstitious. They feared death, and I pity them for it. Was I the only one who thought the same? It's funny how some people could be so similar they almost seem to be the same person. I was a small speck of dirt that did not gain any real attention from anybody of the colony. I considered flying to live with another colony, but what good would that do? We were so far away from any other colony that I would surely lose my way and eventually be eaten by some ravenous predator. I hated the fact that I had to be contained within this pathetic colony. Not much activity went on at all, and adding the fact that no one talked to me, you could guess that it was nothing more than a bore-fest. I did not even know my own parents. The elders said I was born, but my mother and father had disappeared mysteriously. They were probably lying, but what could I do about it?

There was only one bat I knew that would actually bother to converse and hunt with me on some occasions. Dayla Silverwing was her name. I looked as her as an angel that would be with me in my times of need. She was kind, and so different from the others. When we first met, I was speechless. It was like she was some alien creature from some distant land. How could anybody think about talking to me? I was boring anyway – I usually had nothing to add to a conversation, so I let Dayla do a lot of the talking. She had a lot of interesting things to say – one time she talked to me about how she had seen an owl hunt. The feathered beast caught himself a rat and tore it up to the bone. I heard that this type of activity was not common among owls, but Dayla saw it before her very eyes. She described every bit of flesh torn and blood spilled from the process. It was just one of the joyful times we had together. That was a subject we usually talked about, and sometimes it would last for hours. There was nothing more interesting than what Dayla had to say. I began to think she was much like me.

When I thought my life had finally come to a high point, the elders had seen me commit strange activity that alarmed the colony. I had special techniques dealing with sound. I was a bit older than a newborn at the time, and I was not even supposed to have developed these powers. I could craft things with mere sound waves – I could even move things with the force of sound if I wanted to. I could make illusions, visions in one's mind, and many other amazing things. When I developed these skills, I never expected things to get worse for me. I was so jovial over the discovery, and right then, my life had been torn apart. The elders were superstitious over my strange powers and forced me out of the colony. I was banished for the rest of my life. Dayla, as I expected, came to defend me from their sentencing, but her inspiring words did not even touch their cruel hearts. I felt so cold and so hopeless. I lost everything.

Why should I care if I was banished? I still had my unique powers. Dayla was gone, but it was not like hope was completely demolished from me. I was glad to be out of that hellhole, and now I live carefree and wild. I found myself to be a rather reclusive bat. Since my banishment, I did not want to make friends with any other friendly strange I would come across. Over the days, my life of freedom had become nothing to me. I was bored, and I eventually wanted to visit my old home once again. I wanted to see Dayla. Mating season was close, and if I could have secret meetings with her, then maybe…

Maybe we could mate! Maybe we could start a family together! Perhaps my life is not useless after all! I felt the happiest I could feel as I dwelled on these thoughts. I hurried back home secretively. Around the forest I saw the Silverwings flying around, hunting nonchalantly. None of them spotted me. I could not be caught going back. Everybody practically knew about my banishment since that day. It was then that something very odd happened. A bat had spotted my location. He was hanging from a branch above where I stood on the ground. We both stared for a long time, and I felt my insides melt. I felt cold once again. The male bat looked at me strangely and then cocked his head.

"You're weird." He said. "You should fly like all the others. That's how bats hunt!" Then the bat flew away without another word. My senses gathered together again and I noticed that my armpits were drenched in sweat. My wings felt a tad numb, and I sat down against a tree to think. What exactly was going on? Did everybody really know about my banishment? I could not stop to make any seconds thoughts, so I got up and continued my secretive scavenger hunt. Dayla had to be somewhere around the place. Suddenly, bats from all around me fluttered towards my position and started to ridicule me. They laughed, jeered, and mocked me with insults. I noticed that the male bat I had met before was among the group. With a hot head, I shook off their banter and pushed my way through the shrubs ahead, trying hard not to pay attention to them.

It was then that I finally found her. She was perched near the Tree Haven. I hid in a shrub under her and made a shrill sound to get her attention. Dayla had swerved her head around in confusion. I called out her name and she looked downward. She sang out a couple of echo waves and jumped from her perch. She landed beside me.

"Rufus, I was looking for you! Want to hunt?" She said. I was immediately baffled at her question. How could she say this after what had happened to him?

"Dayla, you know I have no time for that." I responded. She looked confused.

"But we always hunt together don't we? We talk, and play, and – " I stopped her with a flick of my wing. I put a claw to my lips and shushed her.

"Don't talk so loud! If anyone else knows I'm here – "

"What's wrong with you?" She asked with an offensive tone. I did not know what to say. I was so confused that my throat was clogged. "Do you want to hunt or not?" I couldn't risk losing the only bat that mattered in my life.

"Fine, but afterwards, we need to talk."

"Fine." She finished, fluttering into the forest. I followed behind, still immensely confused.

After we finished our hunt, Dayla chose to perch near the Tree Haven once again.

"No!" I whispered fiercely at her. Dayla shot me a glare.

"What??"

"We have to fall back. Let's perch farther from the Tree." I said.

"Today, you are stranger than you usually are." She replied. I did not bother to get into a quarrel with her. Together, we perched on a tree far away from our home.

"I was banished, Dayla. Don't you remember?" I asked the oblivious bat. She just raised her brow at me with a look of confusion.

"No, you aren't. The elders wouldn't think about doing that to you."

"That isn't right. They knew I deserve it. They are superstitious after all!"

"Don't say that so loud, Rufus." She said with a quick flick of her wing. "Unless you really want to get banished."

"I really wasn't banished then." I asked. She shook her head. I laughed hoarsely and Dayla just stared at me strangely. "I really don't understand this." I said as I laughed.

"Well don't try to, because you are scaring me."

"Sorry." I apologized. Dayla was honest. Whatever she said was right; however this seemed too strange to be true. It was not a dream, this or the day of his banishment. It was all real to him. I would find out if she were speaking the truth this time. Without saying another word to Dayla, I started to fly back to Tree Haven. I heard her flying behind me.

I had a talk with the elders. They had no remembrance of the time they had banished me. I started to feel dizzy. I had never felt so confused in my life. They suggested that they would never think about doing that to any member of their colony, just as Dayla had said. I dismissed myself from the elders' roost and flew outside to breathe fresh air before I would faint and possibly never wake up again. Dayla was beside me the whole time. It was like she was waiting for me to admit that she was right. For the first time she started to become an annoyance. I wanted to be alone. I did not want to accept this, yet, in my mind, I wanted to. I wanted to become one with the colony once more. Was all this just a trick on my mind, or was this for real? I had to find out quick, before I would probably do something stupid to get myself in trouble again.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

I steered clear away from Tree Haven since that day. That did not mean I completely secluded myself from all social life. Dayla and I would do our usual gathering, hunting, and conversing. It was just like the old days we had, only something seemed to be missing. Dayla never really talked as much as she did before, and worst of it all, she never talked about blood and gore again. I felt sad at this, and for once I tried to lift up the spirits of our conversations.

One day Dayla did not even come out to hunt with me. She was perched inside Tree Haven, wrapped in her own wings, shivering. I nudged her to get her to wake up and to remind her of what she had forgotten, but she did not unfurl herself to even look at me.

"I'm sick." She said. "I'm eating special herbal leaves. I need sleep." Her voice just droned and sounded monotone. I never felt this disappointed before. What was I to do now? I did not feel like being alone at this time, but I was forced to. I never liked it when that would happen. I then went to hunt outside by myself, feeling hot in disappointment. I flew deep into the forest, clear away from the other bats. I knew they did not care much about me, so I had nothing to worry about. It was then that I discovered a cavern. It was very spacey, but not too big as well. It was a perfect place for a bat to rest when he wanted to find shelter. I stayed in this cave for a while, meditating on some things. I did not know what I was really doing. I was hungry, and I was supposed to be hunting, but instead I was perched in this cave as if I was kicked out of the colony again. I tried to think of some solutions to the strange occurrence in Tree Haven. How in the world could the elders forget that they themselves banished me? It made absolutely no sense. Was I dreaming? I pinched myself and even took a few blows to the face, but I did not wake up. It was then that I realized it was not a dream. I should have felt relieved, but my confusion got to the best of me, and I now I felt dreadful. I wished I were not so pensive all the time. What exactly was I to complain about? I decided to make frequent visits to this cavern so I may become familiar with the surroundings. This cave would be my new home. I had to stay away from Tree Haven as much as I could. At the same time, however, I had to make contact with Dayla. My real objective now was to mate with her. Forget about everybody else – I wanted to have my own family. I wanted happiness once more. Meditating on these things, I slowly drifted to sleep.

Night came once again and I woke up with drooping eyes. Somehow I felt I had slept a long time, yet I still felt like I have not closed my eyes for years. I grumbled angrily to myself as I lit from my lonely cave and flew into the night sky. I flew until a sea of leaves appeared before my eyes as a panorama. I looked a bit to the right and saw something that coldly grasped the pits of my heart. A trail of thin smoke emanated from the dense treetops before my very eyes. I knew what this smoke came from – it came from fire. Where there was fire, there were most likely humans. I have always been fascinated about humans ever since I heard about them in my younger days. I attempted to sneak into a human camp on my own, but apparently somebody had caught me before I could get a full glimpse of those brilliant, mountainous figures. This was a perfect opportunity to get a look at the creatures I yearned to inspect for months. I felt my heart beat anxiously as I soared down into the treetops, flaring my wings and making a graceful curve upwards inches above the ground. I came upon their camp and hid behind a tree nearby. I slowly strafed to its side, my back against its bark. My breaths were ragged and I tried to quiet down my breathing as I made my way to the corner. Before I looked over the tree's corner, I turned my head and shot echo beams all across the depths of the forest, making sure there was not anybody stalking me. The coast was clear, and my heart started to beat faster. A dumb smile lit across my face as I sheepishly peeked at the camp, and there they were – humans surrounding a single, very large flame. One of their "tents" was put up near the fire. I was so amazed at the towering figures before me. I had never seen anything so spectacular in my life. My eyes trailed around the humans for minutes without ceasing, and then I saw it – a box next to one of the humans. I wondered what was inside; therefore I flared my wings and flew up to a branch just above my head. I perched and inspected the contents of this box with my echolocation. Stacked in the box were strange cylindrical objects wrapped in what looked like "paper." I knew what this strange material was since I was a newborn. On each head of the objects was a tough string with a metallic shine to them. What could the humans possibly use such useless items for? It was then that two of the humans stood up and walked towards the box. I was alarmed and wanted to fly away, but my feet would not obey my intentions. I stood with my eyes transfixed on the humans' actions. The third human said something to the others and entered the tent. I wished that I could comprehend what these humans were saying. The wonder poked at my head like a needle, jabbing me without ceasing and causing me serious irritation.

The two humans spoke to each other for a while until one of them picked up the box. They both started walking into the forest and my heart leapt. I immediately lifted off of my perch and flew after them. I took cover in the foliage above, making every precaution necessary for the humans not to spot me. No matter how anxious and excited I was, I could not ever forget about being fully aware. I could not lose this chance to see what these humans were up to.

I flew after the humans until they came to a stop at a large clearing in the forest. This clearing was unlike any other clearing I knew. The entire piece of land was coated in dirt in a strangely neat manner. Something inside told me that the humans had done something with this part of the forest. I started to gather wild guesses flowing across my brain as I perched on a tree which had a clear view of the entire clearing. I concentrated my eyes on the humans; one of them reached his arm inside of the box and pulled out of the strange sticks. He reached inside a slit on his torso, pulling out a stick object far smaller than the other one he held on his opposite hand. The other human then pulled out of his torso slit a small, rough sheet of paper. This paper had a weird texture to it, as if it was made of hardened dirt – no, it looked even rougher than that. The human extended his arm and the other human swept the tip of his smaller stick gently across the rough paper. My jaw dropped as the tip instantly lit on fire. I envied the amount of knowledge these creatures had. The human with the ignited stick then put the lit edge against the longer stick's metallic strand. The strand started to glow, and eventually, small sparks shot out from it, causing the human to throw down the ignited stick. I was getting too excited. What was going to happen? The other human started to hastily step back, taking cover behind a tree, but peeking out from its edge. The human with the cylindrical object lifted his arm and mightily tossed the stick onto the middle of the clearing. He dashed back toward the other human and hid with him. They both watched the object intently, and I watched as well, not even feeling my own pounding heart. It was silent, and then suddenly something happened that caused my heart to skip a beat and my entire body to feel dead cold. That object had exploded in a rush of flames and incredible force. The brilliant light shone against my wide-open eyes, causing me to shut them tightly. I could feel the intense heat singeing my fur and warming my body with such quickness. It caught me completely off guard, and I never felt so afraid in my whole life. It was so spectacular that I already knew that it was going to be scarred onto my mind for the rest of my days, but not even saying that would do any justice. It surpassed that – this explosion meant more to me than my own life, and even Dayla. This was something that had its own place in my heart.

I rushed back to the human camp, beating my wings hard. I could feel the stinging pain of the burn marks across my face and shoulders, but I did not care for those. I had to observe more – I had to indulge myself in the customs of these wondrous creatures. I returned to the camp with a wonderful surprise. The human who was left behind was making more of these cylindrical objects just outside the tent. There was a box set beside him with several of the objects. I perched on a branch, wondering how he could have made that many in such a short time. In front of the human were different materials set on a cloth. There was a bowl of strange black dirt and another bowl of dense earth – a kind of dirt that I was not very familiar with; there was also some more of the paper that covered the cylindrical objects, and there were "skeletons" of the objects as well. These "skeletons" had the same exact shape of the actual item, but the top of it had a cut hole and the material they were made out of seemed thicker than paper, but still thin. The human took one of these "skeletons" and took a handful of the earth, pouring it into the hole on the top. He then took some of the black dirt and put it in as well. The human seemed so careful about what he was doing, and there was not one second I became bored. This process seemed so simple and I started to think that maybe even I could make one of those objects. They were so simple, yet so dangerous. After the human had inserted the dirt inside of the mouth of the "skeleton", he took a large strip of paper and wrapped it around the dynamite with extensive care. He then reached in a slit on his torso and pulled out a strange strip of transparent paper that he inserted on the top of the wrapped "skeleton", holding the paper in place. He once again reached in his torso slit and pulled out one of the metallic strings and poked it gently into the wrapped mouth of the "skeleton." He pushed it in deeper until it went halfway through. The human then set his newly crafted cylindrical object inside the box beside him.

It was then after seeing this process that something had happened to me. Something had been growing inside, and it was finally let loose. It took over my mind, and my eyes flared in determination and longing. I lit from my perch and landed on the soft grass just beside the human. Nothing scared me anymore – my mind was only set on my objective: I would make myself one of these objects. I became ultimately addicted to these dangerous items, and nothing would stop me from trying to achieve my current goal. The human stretched his arms over his head and then stood up, walking into the tent once again. This opportunity opened to me so suddenly, yet I was not one to complain aloud. Without hesitating, I slipped onto the cloth that held these materials. My eyes sparkled and my jaw hung open. My stupid grin hung on my face obliviously as I treaded speedily across this cloth. I felt like I had seen something precious, like a shiny rock, but this was more beautiful than any one of those shiny rocks. I had to make excessive trips to get each ingredient to my cavern home. I took one of the "skeletons" and one of the sheets of paper. This part was easy, and I knew getting the rest would not be so. The metallic string was tucked safely into the human's torso slit, and the earth and black dirt did not need any explanation. I needed my own little bowl to carry the dirt. I suddenly grew aware of my tiredness. This whole experience was too much for one little bat, and I needed some rest, but I was too excited. I was perched in my cavern, my wide eyes fixed on the two materials on the ground. I was like that for the rest of the night – my mind became my entertainment. Time passed like a moth fluttering from tree to tree. I could not acquire any sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

I did something I regretted deep in my heart – I looked to Dayla. Why I did it, I do not really know. The exploding objects were calling me, saying to me, "Rufus, forget all other distractions and get me." It was like the constant thoughts delved into my head and made its settlement there. It almost controlled me, and I had to have it.

I went back to Tree Haven, but not recklessly – I stuck close to the bushes and trees and tried to hide myself the best I could from everyone else. I was spotted many times, actually, but that is me – I'm not usually the stealthy kind of bat. Fortunately, nobody seemed to care so much about my appearance. I flied around Tree Haven in a full circle several times and I started to feel like a complete idiot. It was then that I started to think things – terrible things – what if Dayla was dead, or what if she was still terribly sick? I had to pull myself together and find out, for the exploding sticks were still calling me - I could not get my mind off of them. I hyperventilated and forced myself out of a bush I was hiding in and I flew hastily to Tree Haven, shaking off weird looks that bats were giving me as I flew like some bumbling idiot. I dove into the knothole and that familiar scent of home filled my lungs. I hovered in the tree for a while, letting the warm air of security seep down my throat. Eventually, though, I let go of this feeling and gave myself a hard blow on the cheek. This blow was a little too hard and I felt and heard a loud pop from my jawbone as I sloppily careened downward. I pulled myself together and flared my wings, stopping my fall. Bats all around me were staring at me either with pity or disgust. Some bats were even laughing at me. I shut my eyes tightly, realizing how stupid I was acting.

"Rufus!" I heard Dayla's voice ring out from behind me. I nearly smiled as I turned around and saw her perched on one of the ledges that stuck out of the great oak's inner walls. I went to perch beside her and then brushed up against her. She frowned and shook me off, shuffling somewhat away from me. I became confused.

"Dayla?"

"Rufus…" Dayla said, sighing and putting a claw onto her forehead gently. She looked like she was about to be sick. "I'm…sorry…I am just a little drowsy."

"The medical leaves?"

"Yes, I've been taking more everyday."

"So you're still sick?"

"Yes, but not as bad as I was before." Dayla yawned and smiled at me, shuffling closer to me. I started to feel warm in my head until the exploding sticks took over again. I frowned and looked at her seriously.

"Dayla, could you come with me? I want to make something."

"What?" She looked at me puzzlingly. I reassured her with a smile.

"I want to craft something. It is something humans make." I was in luck, for Dayla was also interesting to crafting things. I started to love her once again.

"Really?" Dayla's eyes sparkled as she looked at me with an expression of growing excitement. "What is it?"

"Well, I don't know the name." I stated. "But you carry things in it."

"A basket."

"Yes, a basket." I said, feeling a little embarrassed. Dayla noticed and brushed against my neck warmly.

"Don't be embarrassed, Rufus." I just nodded in response to this. I then jerked my head upwards, signaling that she and I should head outside.

Dayla and I flew far away from Tree Haven. I introduced her to my little cavern home and she fortunately did not notice the ingredients on the ground.

"This is nice." Dayla said, perching on the ceiling.

"Don't get too comfortable, we should start." I suggested. We both flew out of the cave and Dayla led me into a sea of shrubs. She landed on the ground and fell onto her belly, sniffing the ground and crawling around.

"We have to find some large leaves."

"How large?" I asked.

"How big do you want our basket to be?"

"Well, I don't know, maybe half my size?"

"Then we must find some that is half your wingspan." I nodded in understanding and started scouting the ground as well. "You'll search for the leaves. I'll search for some special ones."

"What?" I blurted out.

"The leaves I'm looking for will help us in our crafting process. You'll see." So I searched and searched for what seemed like hours. I got myself several leaves, but I did not know if it was enough. I was about to ask Dayla when I realized I had crawled too far away. I cursed at myself with a hot head as I tried to point myself back in the right direction. I carried the leaves with my feet as I crawled back as quickly as I could. I eventually saw a bat figure in the distance and cried out in joy.

"Dayla! Over here!" I called out. The figure did not move. It was then that I became confused and guessed that it was not she after all. I sighed and shouted out. "Nevermind!" I started to crawl again, but I took a few glances back at the silhouetted bat figure. For a moment it seemed to move, but then became still again. Whoever it was, it was standing on an outward sticking branch from one of the shrubs. Confusion and curiosity started to win over me, and I stopped in my tracks. I stood up and set the leaves beside and looked back at the still figure. It reminded me of an owl sentry, and this thought sent a cold chill down my spine. I slowly walked over to the bat, extending my wing.

"Hello? Are you alright?" I started. "I'm sorry to intrude upon your privacy and all, but – " I stopped and fell backwards onto my bottom, feeling like something tore out my heart. The sharp end of a branch was sticking out of the bat's forehead. It was a male, and his face looked that of pure horror. The branch held the corpse upright and his feet touched another branch below him – this could fool anybody from a distance. I walked up to the body again and looked closely at his face, cringing in disgust while doing so. I gasped when I became familiar with his face. This bat was the bat that had teased me the first time I went back to Tree Haven. If he was not that bat, I might have felt more pity for him. Still this was a very gruesome sight and I could not look any longer. I turned around and went on with my search for Dayla.

I crawled around the network of branches and leaves for a long time, thinking that I had surely lost Dayla. I even lost my way altogether – I had no idea where the heck I was. My claws started to go sore and I stopped in my tracks to blow on them for a while. This was getting me nowhere and I punished myself by slamming my face onto the ground a couple of times. My jaw popped again and pain seared across my bruised face. I felt the warmth of my blood trickle down my nostril. Cursing myself once more, I started crawling again, trying hard to hide back teary eyes even though nobody was around.

My vision started to become blurry and my eyes started to droop. My thoughts were a jumbled mess and the only thought that started to bombard my brain was sleep. The pain on my face never disappeared, and a splitting headache had even developed. I started to think about the humans' exploding sticks and a smile lit across my face. I was glad nobody was around to see my pathetic figure. I struggled further and further until I could take no more. My claws failed me and I fell onto my chest, giving in to my eyes. I instantly fell asleep, not caring whether a predator would find me or not.

Fortunately, nothing did find me, for I woke up and a new night had arisen and had taken over the skies. My headache and pain had gone away and I felt refreshed. I lifted myself onto my feet, and laid my leaves aside. I looked upward and my jaw fell as I saw my cavern seated right before me. My eyes welled up and I fell onto my knees, bowing my head and sobbing with joy. I thought I would have never made it back. To my surprise, when I went in, I found a perfect basket crafted out of many leaves formed into a complex pattern. The shape was exactly that of a bowl that the humans used for carrying things. Although I was meant to be absolutely jovial in this discovery, I felt confused and again my mind wandered; however, this was it. I manipulated Dayla to making me the basket and now I was finally ready to gather the final ingredients.

I flew as quickly as I could, a wonderfully exciting feeling clutching at my heart. I could not believe that this was actually happening – I felt like I could do anything. I felt like I could start a revolution and know that I would succeed. The basket was clutched tightly in my feet and its weight could not even stop me from beating my wings with such vigor. I made it to the human camp and fortunately, it was still pitched up in the exact same area. There was no sign of the humans either. The square cloth was still set on the ground and the ingredients were left there, leaving a wonderful feeling of hope inside of me. I landed on the cloth and filled my basket hastily with the black dirt and the dense earth. I was laughing maniacally and my eyes lit with sheer dedication. I felt nothing could stop me now, until I had realized I was forgetting a last requirement – the metal wire. I remembered that it was tucked safely in the human's torso slit and I cursed loudly. I set the basket down and flew towards the tent that the humans had planted. I flew into the flaps that acted as an entrance and found the three humans sleeping within thick articles of cloth covering their entire bodies. I nearly cried out in anger at this and swooped down onto the human in the middle, landing on his body. I crawled hastily over to his head and peered carefully at his face. Yes, this human was the one. I looked around, making sure that nothing suspicious was going on. I slid down over the side and rolled down a steep slope that the human's figure had made. I crawled forward quickly and reached the end of the cloth. I turned and slipped under it, feeling a blast of warm air against my fur. I had no time to lose – I was feeling dreadfully nervous, but I had to be quick if I did not want to find myself in an alarming situation. I carefully crawled onto the human's arm and onto his torso. His strange "skin" was thin and very loose and it was hard to hold on. I looked around for that slit and found it right beside me, and before I could even move, the human's chest expanded and lifted upwards, causing me to grab onto his skin for dear life. I dug too far in and felt my sharp claws hit flesh and suddenly his body jerked and I heard a thunderous shout of pain come from the human. As quickly as I could, I grabbed a metal string sticking out of the slit. I held the string with my teeth as I began to make my way out of the cloth, but nothing was working out. The human had become frightened and started to squirm violently under the thick cloth, bombarding me with his flailing body. I was knocked down onto the floor on my belly and I started to frantically shout in fear as I struggled to escape the inside of the cloth, but the twisting body of the human did not let that happen. I stopped and tried to calm myself in the midst of the chaos. I used my echo vision to seek out an escape route and I noticed a gaping hole above. Without thinking, I launched myself to the hole, but the human's arm whipped out and smacked me across the jaw. I felt it pop again and I hit the ground hard. I shook my head in pain and looked for another route. I could not give up – not now. I saw another hole appear amidst the violently rippling cloth above and launched forwards again. I shut my eyes tightly as I spread out my wings with great force. I felt a blast of fresh air and, with relief, I opened my eyes and smiled triumphantly. The human then stood on his hind legs and spotted my figure, crouched on all fours on the ground below him. His face was that of pure shock and I could not help but let a funny grin form across my face. I lit from the ground then flew with great speed outside the tent, the human still staring at me in disbelief. I set the string inside of my basket and grasped the basket with my feet, flying out into the depths of the forest with a feeling of victory coursing across every single one of my veins.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

I woke up with the same feeling I had from the explosion near the human camp. Every single hair on my body stood up and my heart felt dangerously cold. Sweat was all over my body, and all my nerves felt like they were being pulled and twisted around. I felt like I had seen something that had scarred me for life. It was when I gathered my senses together than I found myself in my cavern. What happened? I was flying away with my ingredients and suddenly I could not remember anything that had happened in between that time and now.

I shook my head, trying to make myself fully aware again. My senses were barely responding, but then my nose began to sting. I took a whiff and my nose stung even more. The smell was all around me. I could feel the air all around me – it was terribly thick, and I felt very uncomfortable. I flared my wings and dove down from my perch, only to land sloppily on the ground, slipping and falling hard on my stomach. I tried hard to get back up, but my state made it near impossible. I stretched my arms out weakly, grasping the soft dirt before me and dragging the weight of my body forwards. As I dragged myself, I noticed that my legs felt numb; in fact, my whole lower body was numb. Did I injure myself? I stopped and looked around, noticing that all my ingredients were completely missing. I felt despair growing in the pits of my heart and I cursed, banging my head on the floor pitifully. Had all that work been in vain?

I was finally able to drag myself out of the cave mouth and I started to feel the muscles of my lower body again, but this did not help to cheer me up. I attempted to stand, but fell on my knees, my hands saving me from landing on my face. I tried to stand up again after a deep breath, and to my surprise, I felt my legs again in an instant. I popped my neck as I started to walk further to the source of the smell. My nose stung more and more as I treaded deeper into the forest. Tears started to stream out of my eyes and I eventually could not take it any longer. I lifted up and hovered over the treetops of the forest and saw something that forced my jaw to drop. In a distant area, a pillar of smoke rose from the tree foliage and poured into the sky. My eyes could not be pulled away from this sight. For some strange reason, I had a feeling inside that told me that I knew what had happened there. I felt that I should have known from the time it happened. I felt so confused and yet so terribly scared. I could not look any longer and turned back, flying as quickly as I could, ignoring the stinging pain of my tears.

I woke up again in my cavern and the moon was still up in the sky. My body was perfectly fine again and I felt the familiar gnawing in my stomach. The only thing on my mind right now was food. When I went out, everything was normal. There was no smoke, and everything was calm and still. I even saw some Silverwing bats hunting in the distance. Was all of that a dream? I could not have been, since I still did not remember what had happened after I came back with the final ingredients. That's when the thought had hit my mind. "Did I make the exploding stick?" I snatched up a fat Tiger Moth as I flew back to my cave. I went in with great anticipation and felt the cold feeling of disappointment. There was absolutely nothing inside the cave except for the basket, which was completely empty and lying upside down. I turned it over and sat down on the dirt to think for a while. How could this be? Everything I had stolen was missing. I started to wish that I could remember what happened in the past. Were my ingredients stolen? Did I make the stick but then it had been stolen? I shut my eyes so hard that it hurt my eyelids slightly. I started to think hard. I knocked on my head with my fist several times before something finally appeared in my mind's eye. I saw a silvery image of a bat figure crafting what looked like the exploding stick. I then realized that it was I. I looked so concentrated in my work, as if I had been completely brainwashed or hypnotized for that matter. I opened my eyes. So I did make that exploding stick, but now it was missing. It must have been stolen, because I did not even get a chance to do anything with it just yet. I began to curse myself for my assumptions, but there was just no other thought that I could think up of. I kept telling myself that my exploding stick had been stolen until the words sounded meaningless. I was wasting my time. I had to find the item I worked so hard to make.

I got up and flew out of my cave and into the tree foliage above. I started to think about what I had witnessed before. That pillar of smoke coming from the forest was burned into my mind and I knew it would remain for a very long time. Perhaps some humans just wanted to test out some more of their sticks in some other area? That could be it. I was stressing over something stupid, but why did I even get that cold feeling as I was in the presence of that smoke?

As I flew around the forest, I noticed with my echo vision some Silverwing bats that I had never seen in the colony before. When I got to Tree Haven, I had counted over ten of them. I was immensely confused and perched on a branch near the Haven. I stood, staring at the tree while thinking of this strange phenomenon. I justified my confusion by the fact that I never really got around to studying every single bat of the colony. But just looking at these "newcomer" bats gave me a weird, tingly feeling inside.

"You an outcast too?" I heard a voice near me sound out. My heart nearly skipped a beat. I turned around hesitantly to see a somewhat elderly male Silverwing bat perched behind me. I stared at the bat's face for a while and realized that I never knew him either.

"Who in the world are you?" I asked curtly.

"It's not like I know you either, friend." The bat said coolly.

"Maybe I was not born when you were still alive, but I have honestly never seen you around here. Seriously, who are you?"

"I'm banished." The bat said with a fanged smile. My face cringed. "But not any longer." I raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I was banished because of my strange skills, but when I came back, I was accepted back. I was not one to complain about the elder's complete lack of common sense anyhow." When the bat had finished the sentence, I felt like I could connect with him. He sounded like he had the exact same experience as he did.

"What kind of skills did you have?" I said feeling excited. The bat grinned.

"Great skills. I believe bats are starting to evolve." The bat said, his eyes trailing off in a trance. "This will be a great change. It will revolutionize society as we see it now." I started to become even more excited. This bat's words fit to my tastes with such great accuracy. I felt I could learn a lot from this mysterious bat. I was about to say that I had been banished too, but I already acted out as an innocent member of the Silverwing colony and I would not start confusion. "Go ahead, say what you like." The male had said. I smiled.

"I like that idea." The bat nodded and smiled back at me.

"It's all in due time."

"Are you saying there are more like you?"

"Yes, of course. They've all been accepted back too. They all roosted with me after we were banished." I was fascinated.

"Please continue." I said, not really knowing what I had just said.

"I had a little group I developed myself. It was all for the banished bats. I just couldn't stand seeing them so pathetically weak and heart-broken after being separated from the Tree. I wanted them to be strong, strong like me, and, hey, don't give me that look! I'm trying my best to be humble, but listen, I had the power to bring myself back together. We don't need them. We never did need them. All we needed was proof – we needed proof that bats were starting to evolve, and the multitude that had the same skills as me were the cream of the crop for this. It was time to show that superstition is a wasted opportunity to acknowledge a greater thing arriving for us all. Soon, in the near future, every single bat in this earth will be like us: evolved for the greater good. We know this, and soon, we'll help all bats know this. That is just a goal of mine." He finished and I felt absolutely speechless. This was a bat I was looking for for a long time. I could not help myself as I let the words seep out from my mouth.

"I have the same thoughts! Everything you had said! I even have the same power!" I said ruefully. Why did I let myself go? The bat smiled and extended his wing outwards.

"Elias." The male said. It took me a while to realize he was introducing himself. Was I worthy enough to shake this bat's hand? He had a strange aura around him that would make one feel like he was some old prophet with more knowledge that can even fit in one's brain. I felt stupid looking at this amazing bat. My arm was shaking as I extended my wing, grasping my hand around his and shaking it heftily. Elias smiled. "What's your name, then?"

"Rufus." I said with regret.

"Good to meet you, Rufus. I'm very glad we have much in common. You are always welcome to join us if you wish."

"Join you? But what about the colony? You were accepted back, right?"

"Our group will live on until all bats are fully revolutionized, Rufus."

"In that case, let me think about it."

"Take your time." Elias said. I just flew off of my perch and towards Tree Haven, my mind filled with joyful thoughts. This was the first time I have met anyone that was so close to me. Not even my parents would probably have enough closeness as Elias did, even if I never knew them. I went into the Tree to look for Dayla and to tell her the good news. Did she even know what happened?

Dayla was perched in the lower parts of Tree Haven, which confused me since she never usually perched in that area. I perched beside her and she did not even seem to notice me. She was wrapped up in her wings, her head buried in her thick neck scruff. I could hear her soft breathing and I knew she was asleep. It was the middle of the night and she was still sleeping? I nudged her to wake her up and she yawned loudly, groggily opening her eyes and shuffling around.

"What." She said loudly, clearly irritated.

"It's me Dayla." I said. My cheerful tone of voice caused her to look at me with a strange awareness.

"Whoa, what happened to you?"

"Something wonderful."

"Well, you can tell me, I suppose." She started to brush her hair with her claws.

"I've met somebody that I can finally connect with." I said happily. Dayla looked at me with a fake smile.

"Really? I guess he was banished for the same reason as you, then?"

"Yeah! Wait…how do you know that?" I asked in bewilderment.

"Everyone knows Rufus!" Dayla said, annoyed. I wished I were not so naïve.

"Sorry, but this is a big thing to me."

"I'm glad it is, Rufus." She said, extending a claw and pinching my cheek. "But could we talk later? I'm a bit tired." I scoffed. I could not believe Dayla wanted to get rid of me like that. It did not matter that much though, because I wanted desperately to talk to Elias again. It was a while since I had this longing feeling. I flew out of the Tree, leaving Dayla to herself. I went back to where Elias was perched, but to my disappointment, he was gone.


End file.
